It’s that time of year again where we’re all glued to Bake Off salivating and dreaming about eating delicious cakes.

For some viewers, #GBBO revives a passion for baking and will lead to you cooking up all sorts of culinary delights in the kitchen. This blog is for all those bakers who can bake the most amazing cakes and patisseries and have always wanted to become a professional baker, either full time or as a side hustle, but have never been confident enough to take the plunge. We’re here to tell you that now is your time to shine. Let us help you become the star baker of your own start-up! 

In this blog, you will meet some of our #XFSuccess bakers and we’ll share some practical advice and tips to help make starting your own business a piece of cake!  

What do I need to start-up professionally? 

Firstly, you will need somewhere to bake. Depending on the scale of your start-up, most bakers prefer to set up at home first to keep overheads low until they are more established. You will need to ensure your home baking arrangements are in line with those stipulated by the Food Standards Agency.

Once they meet these requirements you should register with your local authority so they can carry out an environmental health inspection before you begin trading. You will also need to get your food hygiene certificate which can usually be done online.  

Have your cake and eat it too! 

#XFSuccess business Flaiva grew their customer base organically before setting up in premises. They have built a strong following on social media and have a mouth-watering Instagram page! Social media is an effective and inexpensive way of marketing your new business and is something which you can begin building before officially launching the business. If you have made cakes for friends and family before then these pictures can form part of your online portfolio and you could even ask them to leave reviews on your social media to help build your credibility from the outset.  

Knead Bakery are another #XFSuccess business who have channelled their passion for baking into their own business. As keen bakers, Knead Bakery specialise not only in cakes but are also an artisan bakery with a range of artisan breads alongside a food menu. By diversifying their product range and constantly updating their menu with new cakes and treats, they are creating a loyal client base who have something new to keep coming back for. Shows like #GBBO inspire the nation to look for something new – gone are the days where people just want Victoria sponge (not that there is anything wrong with a classic!) but customers are becoming more adventurous with their tastes so that salted caramel and chilli cake or rosemary and lemon biscuits might be more popular than you’d expect!  

Cake a Diem & let’s get started! 

To set up your own bakery or if you’ve been trading under 24 months and would like some start-up support, see how XFE can help you secure low-interest government-backed start-up funding . You will also have access to workshops and networking to help you brush up on the essentials of running a business. We also offer 12-months ongoing mentoring to ensure you have all the support you need to make your start-up a success. Our programmes are fully funded by our partners so we don’t charge you for our support. To find out more contact us today and one of our team will call you back. 

You may also be interested in:

• Our Free “How to start a business” eBook
• Our New Series Of Podcasts
• Our Success Stories
• Our Training Programmes
• Our Start Up Loans Support

#XFSuccess